The Cow Dalbury - Ashbourne

MDLS56

There is so much to like here. We arrived late Saturday afternoon and there was a vibrant feel to the bar and restaurant. Good service as well, and I personally was pleased to see one of my favourite pints (Timothy Taylor Landlord) on draft. The evening meal was excellent, my wife choosing the vegetarian curry declaring it "the best ever". The room (no. 6) was comfortable and clean. So what is there not to like?||Small gripes to begin with, we had to park some distance away and breakfast is not included even at these top end prices. The BIG GRIPE is room 6 is adjacent to the ducting for the kitchen fan and it is quite impossible to sleep when it is running. We had to ask for it to be turned off in the evening. Much worse, we were rudely awoken at 7.00am (6.00am according to our body clocks, the clocks has moved to BST that night) when the fan started up for the days service. We had very much looked forward to a well deserved lie in, but it was not to be. We have no idea if other room suffer in the same way, but it is impossible to believe the owners and management are not aware of this major issue. £220 for a bad nights sleep, well, I can't get my head around that. Sorry.

James G.

This is an old country pub with excellent rooms. Quaint with quality modern fit-out. Nice selection of beers and reasonably priced wine. However, the food is absolutely top-notch. Friendly service caps it off. 5 Stars!

Lydia J.

I visited The Cow on Sunday for a roast with a couple of friends. I have a severe peanut allergy and found out on arrival that there were peanuts present in the kitchen, in the nut roast. One lady in particular was amazing and so kind, I think she might have been the manager. She spoke to the kitchen and gave me really detailed information on where food was prepped and which option would be safest. She then carried my food out herself and gave me my own portion of vegetables. I felt really at ease, thank you! ❤️ The food was delicious too! 😊

Grace G.

A positively faultless experience, easily one of the best hotels we've ever stayed in.

Super lovely staff, immaculate rooms with romantic flair, one of the most comfy beds we've ever slept on! Courtyard access from the bedroom on the ground floor was delightful (and under-advertised - it was a very pleasant surprise!), room was super toasty and warm (but not stifling). Food was Michelin-star level good, and we felt spoilt for choice despite being vegan - easily one of the best meals out we've had over many years.

All the theming and decor is stunning, so much thought and care put into making the place a perfect blend of modern/rustic. Can't recommend enough, the perfect domestic luxury break. Thank you so much for a perfect time.

Luke S.

Recently stayed at The Cow with my wife for her birthday. Overall a lovely place and a great evening meal, however, a couple of things let it down and I don't think the stay is value for money.

Our room was lovely however, it was right next to the bar area and opposite the kitchen so was very noisy. There were 4 rooms available when I booked, had known where it was located I would have chosen one of the others and I do think this is something they should make you aware of and the room rate maybe reduced as a result compared to the other rooms.

At £220 a night I do think the rooms are expensive for what they are, they're lovely and the Molton Brown bits are a nice touch but with no breakfast included they're on the *expensive* end.

Some form of breakfast should definitely be included IMO, some toast, a pastry or some cereal from a self serve section would be welcomed. It's also laughable that you have teabags and a kettle in your room but if you ask for a tea with your breakfast it's chargeable. We went with eggs and smoked salmon on toast with two cappucinos for breakfast which cost us another 30 something pounds.

Our evening meal was great, really nice food, environment, staff were helpful and friendly. I had cod which was lovely and I thought I'd make the most of their fresh cornish fish. Potato dauphinoise a little greasy for my liking but overall a lovely meal. Had a really nice sauvignon blanc, can't remember the name but the wine was really good.

On checkout I mentioned the room noise and the fact I booked the room based on it's overall look but as above wouldn't have if I'd known it's location. I was met with a very generic, unbelievable apology but no offer of a small gesture or discount.

Overall I paid around £350 for a one night stay here with breakfast and dinner which I think is a tad on the expensive side BUT it was still nice though wouldn't rush back.

732gailm

What a delight!! We stayed at The Cow as a group of friends, gorgeous boutique hotel with lush bedroom decor and crisp fresh bed linen and the most comfy bed and pillows. Discovering a golden triangle of 3 pubs The Cow where we stayed and had the best breakfast, a delightful walk around the area before lunch in The Bluebell (what a pizza!), back for a refresh and onwards to a fine dining evening the Horseshoes… all within a couple of miles of each other. Lovely walks and stately homes and gardens to visit. And these 3 gems of gastro and lush flavour made for a delightful couple of days. Great staff and service throughout. Highly recommend.

Ollie M.

The best Sunday lunch we’ve had in years. 8 of us really enjoyed the warm and inviting atmosphere at The Cow. It’s exactly what quality English pubs should be like. A credit to the management and team. Thank you.

Mark

Tl;dr - they made it so we didn't look forward to the stay, nor make it easy.
Basically, we booked bed & breakfast and when they changed their policy to not include breakfast, we challenged the £15 refund we were offered. What we booked would've meant juice, coffee, cooked breakfast each; what £15 would've bought us was one coffee, one juice, a pastry and a yoghurt.
Just don't understand why they were happy to lose our stay and dinner booking for the sake of not giving us what we originally booked (plus only told us les than 48h before - I'm not counting the generic email in December as it was clear and they didn't reply to my email).